Not applicable.
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Not applicable.
This invention relates to a fish tape reel assembly which is used to store coiled, somewhat rigid, but substantially flexible fish tape of the type used to route electrical and telephone wire through conduit. The fish tape reel assembly is in the nature of an annular tape reel formed by mating together two substantially identical hollow annular segments. A winder-puller mechanism is mounted between the outer lip of the two annular segments so that the fish tape contained in the assembly may be wound and unwound by rotating the winder-puller mechanism around the periphery of the reel. The winder-puller mechanism also includes a handle and a means for a grasping the fish tape so that the length of fish tape extended from the reel may be pulled through conduit using the handle.
Presently, fish tape is used to pull electrical, telephone, fiberoptic, or other wire through conduit. Fish tapes are made of various materials, including steel and nylon-sheated fiberglass. The tapes are generally rigid, but flexible enough so that they may be forced through conduit which often follows an irregular path. Fish tapes are customarily of substantial length, typically at least 50 feet long and often as long as 200 feet. The leading end of the tape customarily contains a fastener to which wire can be connected. Because of their length and in order to preserve their rigidity and flexibility without kinking, fish tapes are customarily coiled inside a reel for storage and transporting.
The manner in which an electrician customarily uses the fish tape in conjunction with a fish tape reel is by extending a length of fish tape by unwinding it from within a fish tape reel, then pushing the tape through conduit until the leading edge of the tape reaches the distal opening of the conduit. At the distal opening of the conduit, the leading edge of a length of wire, the remainder of which is often coiled upon a spool, is connected to the fish tape. The fish tape is then pulled through the conduit by the electrician.
The force needed to pull upon the fish tape is often substantial because of the resistance created by the weight of the length of wire being pulled, the force required to uncoil the wire from its spool, and the friction between the fish tape and the walls of the conduit, particularly where the conduit courses an irregular path. It is often difficult for the electrician, without a pulling tool, to grasp the tape and pull with sufficient force to retract the tape and the wire from the conduit.
Electricians occasionally use pliers to pull fish tape. In practice, the use of pliers for pulling fish tape is disadvantageous and inefficient because the pliers slip off the tape and because they can damage the surface of the fish tape or can kink it if the pulling force is applied in a direction other than directly opposite to the tensile resistance of the tape.
Several other types of pulling tools and devices are disclosed by the prior art which may be used by electricians. One type, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,135, requires that the electrician employ both hands to use the pulling tool. Another type, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,633, can be employed with one hand, but has the disadvantage of occasionally causing damage to the surface of the fish tape or may kink the fish tape if the force applied using the tool is not directly opposite to the tensile resistance of the fish tape.
The use of tools like those identified herein suffer the additional disadvantage that the electrician must customarily alternate use of the pulling tool with the use of the fish tape reel assembly.
Several types of fish tape reels are disclosed by the prior art. In one type of fish tape reel assembly, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,780, the inside surface of an outer peripheral wall of the reel is used to constrain the coiled fish tape. The wall is circumferentially split so that a slot is defined around the periphery of the reel. The halves of the wall normally meet, but are spread apart by a winder mechanism which is mounted between the halves of the outer wall. The winder can be rotated about the outer circumference of the reel in either direction so that the fish tape is coiled therein or extended therefrom. This type of fish tape reel does not provide the user with a mechanism to pull the tape through conduit and the user generally must use both hands to operate the reel. Thus, in an operation pulling wire through a conduit, the user must alternately employ a fish tape pulling tool and then employ the reel to rewind the pulled fish tape. In order to avoid excess fish tape remaining unwound, several iterations of alternate uses of the pulling tool and the reel may be required. This process is inefficient.
A second type of fish tape reel disclosed by the prior art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,731. In this type of reel an inner and outer housing are mated together to form a chamber. The inner and outer housing rotate relative to one another such that rotating winds or unwinds a coiled fish tape contained therein. Like the first type of fish tape reel, this mechanism requires the user to employ both hands in order to rewind extended fish tape. Thus, in operation pulling wire through a conduit, this type of reel also requires the user to alternatively employ a fish tape pulling tool and the reel.
A combination puller and-reel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,992. This combination stores a fish tape pulling tool in the hub of a reel like the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,731. While such storage makes it convenient for the user to find the fish tape pulling tool, the mechanism still requires the user to alternately employ the reel and the pulling tool in an inefficient manner.
Prior art reels frequently are constructed with handles on the winder mechanism. These handles are constructed for carrying the fish tape reel, but they are not constructed so as to allow the handle to be used to pull the fish tape through the conduit. A fish tape reel of the type with a handle permitting the electrician to pull the fish tape with the handle of the reel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,609. This apparatus suffers the disadvantage that pulling with the handle may result in a bending force being applied to the extended fish tape because the grip of the handle is not located so that force directly opposite to the tensile resistance of the fish tape may be conveniently applied.
It is the object of the invention to provide a fish tape reel assembly and fish tape-puller which can be used simultaneously and efficiently to retract fish tape extended into conduit and to wind the tape within the fish tape reel. It is a further object of the invention to provide a fish tape reel assembly and fish tape-puller which allows for extended fish tape to be retracted and rewound faster and easier.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pulling mechanism with the fish tape reel assembly which has a handle with a grip constructed and located to allow for the efficient application of force in a direction opposite to the tensile resistance of the extended fish tape.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pulling mechanism with the fish tape reel assembly which grips the fish tape more securely as greater force is applied to pull the fish tape.
These and other objects of invention are realized by a fish tape reel assembly in which a winder-puller is mounted between the two complementary halves of the fish tape reel assembly such that rotating the winder-puller about the outer circumference of the reel spreads apart the outer lips of the halves and unwinds a length of coiled fish tape from within the reel which is extended and protruded through an aperture in the winder-puller. The winder-puller includes a handle slidably mounted in a sleeve formed by two complementary hollow sleeve segments.
In one preferred embodiment, the handle is pivotably connected to connecting rods which are pivotably connected to two cams mounted within the winder-puller. The cams are rotatably mounted opposite each other to form a channel through which the extended fish tape travels and in a fashion such that rotation of the cams narrows the channel between the cams and forces them to pinch the fish tape between their surfaces.
When pulling force is applied to the grip of the handle, the handle and the connecting rods cooperate to rotate each of the cams such that the channel between the cams is narrowed and the fish tape is pinched between the cams. Increasing the pulling force on the handle proportionally increases the pinching force upon the fish tape exerted by the cams.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the connecting rods are connected to a single cam rotatably mounted within the winder-puller. This single cam is mounted directly opposed to an anvil which is also mounted in the first sleeve segment such that a channel is formed between the face of the cam and the anvil through which the extended fish tape travels. Further, the cam is mounted so that rotation of the cam narrows the channel between the face of the cam and the anvil and pinches the fish tape between the anvil and the face of the cam.
In both preferred embodiments, a spring connected to the first hollow sleeve segment and to the handle biases the handle inwardly so that when no pulling force is applied to the grip, the handle is fully inserted into the sleeve and the cams are rotated such that the channel through which the fish tape passes is at its maximum width and the fish tape may be extended unimpeded through the channel.